


Confession and Confusion

by alistairweekend



Series: Multi-Warden!AU [4]
Category: Dragon Age: Origins
Genre: Alternate Universe, F/M, Love Confessions, Multi-Warden AU, Multiple Wardens, Pre-Relationship
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-06-19
Updated: 2016-06-19
Packaged: 2018-07-15 23:44:35
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,032
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7243609
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/alistairweekend/pseuds/alistairweekend
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Leivi Tabris confessed his feelings for Nialiss Mahariel, but she didn't know how to respond. Several days later, she finally comes to a conclusion regarding her own baffling emotions.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Confession and Confusion

“Nialiss?”

The voice sounded distant, and she didn’t react to it right away. Nialiss’ attention was focused on the unusually mesmerizing campfire, which proved to be more compelling than her friend’s concerned inquiry, so she gave no response.

“Hey. Nialiss. _Nialiss._ ” A hand waved in her line of sight, causing her to blink and break out of her reverie. Equal parts annoyed and embarrassed, Nialiss turned to look Leah in the eye, brow furrowed in a poor substitute of a reply.

Leah did the same, except more quizzical than irritated. “Are you okay? You’ve seemed… distracted these past couple days. Did something happen?”

“…No.” Nialiss’ response was much too slow to be convincing, however. Leah frowned.

“Did my brother say something to you?”

“No!” Too quick, now. Heat spread through Nialiss’ cheeks, but she stubbornly held her gaze, making it clear she didn’t want the subject to be pursued.

The mention of Leah’s brother brought him to mind, though. Leah did look like her twin, despite having much darker hair than the carrot-orange mess that was Leivi’s. They shared the same narrow jawlines, the same long noses and the same shape of their mouths, with lips that naturally tugged ever-so-slightly downwards at the corners. Perhaps most noticeable, however, were their green eyes. Leivi’s in particular sparkled, especially when he grinned and laughed after doing something stupid or telling a terrible joke…

The heat grew so intense it reached the tips of Nialiss’ ears, and then her embarrassment won over her, forcing her to avert her eyes to the ground. “I’m fine, Leah.” A pause. “Th-Thank you for your concern, though…” The addendum was mumbled, but Leah evidently heard it as she stood up and let her investigation drop.

“If you say so. Just… if you ever need to talk, I’m here.” She walked away.

In any other situation, Nialiss would have felt touched and awed by the show of support. But at that moment she only felt stupid. And horribly awkward. Without thought of anyone that might be watching, Nialiss slid off the log she sat on to the ground, drawing her knees up so she could bury her face in them.

Of course, Leah had been right on the mark. Leivi had indeed said something to Nialiss to throw her off kilter. What was it? Nialiss couldn’t remember the exact words. They had been jumbled and he had stuttered and his face had been so red that it was deeper than his hair and Nialiss had almost pitied him. But the ultimate message was clear: Leivi had feelings for her.

His confession had caught her so off-guard that she never even gave him a response. Someone had called her name as she had stared at him dumbfounded, and she had nearly jumped at the opportunity to wordlessly slip away from the messy emotional conversation. Time passed over the next two days in a dazed blur, and only now did it occur to Nialiss how much she might have hurt Leivi. By giving no response he might have assumed it was definite rejection. She hadn’t meant it that way, however. She truly didn’t know how to answer.

The very concept of romantic feelings was unfamiliar territory for Nialiss. People in the clan used to tease her about Tamlen, accusing her of having feelings for him, but she was fairly certain that was not how things were. What she had with Tamlen was special, but it was simply a strong bond of friendship. It had confused her for a while, though; perhaps she had things mixed up? Did she have the line between friendship and something more defined incorrectly? But she had never had the urge to do “romantic” things with Tamlen. She never foresaw them getting married someday. Nor had she with any other person in the clan, for that matter.

Leivi was similar to Tamlen in some ways. Now that Tamlen was gone, Leah and Leivi were Nialiss’ closest friends. While they would never _replace_ Tamlen, the friendship she had with the twins helped fill the void her old friend had left, and Nialiss would lay down her life for them – of that she was certain. At the same time, though, Leivi was definitely much different than Tamlen. With Tamlen, Nialiss felt a sense of security and calm when she thought of him. With Leivi…

Nialiss glanced up. A blur of orange in her peripheral vision drew her gaze, and there was Leivi, sitting across the way by Alistair and Zevran. Even this far away, and even with Nialiss’ rather poor vision, she could see that there was less animation to Leivi’s actions and gestures than usual. With a profound pang in her heart, she knew that she was likely the culprit of his despondency. The tension left her legs, allowing her to place a hand on her chest, and she frowned down at it, trying to analyze why she was so fiercely unhappy about this. Sure, he was a good friend, but normally how other people reacted to her (friend or not) didn’t bother her in the slightest.

When she looked up again, Leivi was walking close enough so she could see his face in better detail. He passed by his sister, stopping to exchange a few words, and that was when it happened. A grin lit up his face. It was nothing special; Nialiss had seen the same smile a thousand times over the few months she had known him. But with this one, she finally made the connection between what happened within her – the small squeeze her stomach gave, the sudden increase in her heartbeat, tiniest breath that caught in her throat – and _him_.

Now that it was so obvious, Nialiss seethed at the fact that it had taken her so long to realize it. She still wasn’t exactly sure where the line between friendship and romance was, but somewhere along the way, Leivi Tabris had crossed it. He had been aware of it far longer than she had, probably even the very moment it happened, leaving Nialiss in the dust that had only just cleared.

Sneaky bastard. Now she had to figure out how to tell him.

**Author's Note:**

> This is a prequel of sorts to "Surprise", the next ficlet in the Multi-Warden AU series. In that one, Leivi's confession is never mentioned, as this was essentially an afterthought on my part. "Surprise" happens a day or two after this ficlet, as Nialiss silently agonizes over how she will confess to him until the events described in "Surprise" happen.


End file.
